


A Lighter and Some Letters

by pdhudson



Category: X-Men (Movieverse)
Genre: Gen, Post - X-Men: The Last Stand (2006), Pre-X-Men: Days of Future Past
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-20
Updated: 2016-12-20
Packaged: 2018-09-09 20:14:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 9
Words: 4,613
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8910460
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pdhudson/pseuds/pdhudson
Summary: Written for the 2016 Fic Exchange. Prompt: "give me pyro and bobby making up after alcatraz(xmls)" Fills in the gap between The Last Stand and Days of Future Past. Rated T for language, just in case anyone cares about that.





	1. September 23, 2006

Bobby Drake  
1407 Graymalkin Lane  
North Salem, NY 10560

September 23, 2006

John Allerdyce, 09475-218  
USP Florence ADMAX  
U.S. Penitentiary  
P.O. Box 8500  
Florence, CO 81226

Dear John,

I don't totally know why I'm writing you this letter. I'm still mad at you for last spring. I'll never forget the way you looked at me when you ran at me during the battle. You wanted to kill me. You tried to kill me. I've spent a lot of time since then thinking about how we got to where we are. How you got to the point where you could hate me so much. I don't know why I didn't just leave you there to die. I guess I still thought of you as my friend. I think I still do. Enough that I remember your birthday's coming up, and it makes me want to send you something. I hope you like the book.

I remember the first time I ever saw you, first day of freshman year. You'd been at the school for two years already, and I'd just started. I'd told my parents it was just a normal boarding school. I'd never met another mutant besides the professor, and I was so scared. But then I saw you, and you didn't look scared at all. You looked so badass, this punk juggling fireballs like it was nothing, rolling your eyes at Ms. Munroe when she threatened to give you detention. That was the first time I thought my power could be more than a burden; being a mutant could be cool. You had so much confidence in your powers, in yourself. I thought maybe I could absorb that confidence by being around you. That was selfish, I guess.

Those first two years at Xavier's were amazing, mostly because of everything I learned from you. You taught me to have pride in my abilities. You taught me how to relax and have fun and pull pranks. I reigned you in whenever you were about to take it too far. I thought you were kind of an asshole, but a harmless one. I didn't think you'd ever do anything worse than burn that stack of pop quizzes Mr. Summers was about to hand out.

And then last year happened.

It took me a really long time to figure out that maybe you were more serious than I thought. Maybe all that acting out was a cry for help or something. Even after you almost killed those police officers outside my house, I thought that was just John being John. You were trying to protect us, and you were a little hot-headed. You would never actually kill someone. It wasn't until you ditched us for the Brotherhood that I finally realized I'd never really known you at all. Something was happening underneath the surface that I just wrote off. Maybe you were good at hiding it, maybe I was just oblivious. I don't know what I did to make you hate me so much. I wish I could go back in time to last September, before everything got so out of hand, and undo whatever mistakes I made. I wish I could have been there for you.

Things here at Xavier's are pretty normal, or getting there anyway. I'm in training with Kitty and Peter to become a full-fledged X-Man after graduation. That takes up a lot of my time, and it's exhausting, but I can't think of anything I'd rather do. As weird as it is to think about, you kind of pushed me in that direction. That battle last spring was the first time I'd ever turned my body to solid ice. I didn't even know I could do that until you pushed me to the limit. I guess you're still teaching me things. 

Marie came back for senior year, even though she took the cure. There's a bunch of cured kids who are still here. Headmistress Munroe made a point of inviting all of them back, because sometimes even after you've been cured, you still don't totally fit in with the regular humans. It can get tense between them and some of the more militant students, who don't think they have a right to be here. Marie and I are trying to set an example. We're still together, and doing really well. She's looking at colleges nearby so we can stay together after graduation. Sarah Lawrence isn't too far away.

I watched the trial like everyone else. I felt so sick when the sentence came down. I swear I didn't know they'd make you all take the cure. I hope Florence isn't too bad. I hope you can see mountains through the bars on your window. I'd like to visit you someday, if you don't mind. We were friends once. I hope we can be friends again.

Sincerely,  
Bobby Drake


	2. October 9, 2006

Dear Bobby,

If this letter looks wobbly, it's because I'm writing it with this little rubbery pen they make us use because real pens are to sharp. I had to buy it out of the commisery, they don't just give it to you. Had to buy the paper to. It's not like my mom's filling up my account to spend on this shit but I bought it anyway because I have one last thing to say to you and then were fucking done.

Let's get one thing straight. You didn't write that letter for me, you wrote it for yourself because you want to be the Good Guy. You want me to fall down on my knees and beg forgiveness and thank you for saving my life so you can keep thinking of yourself as the big fucking hero. Well I'm not gonna give you the satisfaction. 

I don't see any mountains out my window. I don't have a window. I live in a little concrete room the size of my closet back at school. I'm in here 23 hours a day, every day. I can read, I can write, I can listen to the radio. That's pretty much it. 1 hour a day if I'm lucky they let me out alone into this little fenced in yard to walk around. There's no grass, no trees, I can't even see the sky. Everything is concrete and metal. The only living things I ever see are the guards and they treat me like shit. This is my life now. This is my life for the rest of my life and it's because of you. Everythings cold and I get tortured by self-rightuss assholes who are so sure their doing the right thing. You'd really fit in here.

You say you didn't know they'd take away my powers. Bullshit. You knew I was unconcience when you dragged me off the battlefield. Who did you think would find me?? What did you think they'd do with me?? You saw them shooting at us with those cure darts. You knew how expensive it was to make that special plastic prison just for Magneto. You could of put 2 and 2 together. Of course they fucking locked us up in a supermax. Of course they made us take the "cure." They won't let ex-cons vote, you think their gonna let us have SUPERPOWERS???

I bet you think it'll end with prisoners. I bet you think they'll just let you walk around with the power to freeze anyone you want to death because your just such a nice guy. You think the biggest problem is making sure real mutants and "cured" mutants play nice together. I don't know if your stupid or you just don't want to see the truth. As soon as they made the "cure" that was it for us. Were all gonna get it sooner or later. The Battle of Alcatraz was the end of the line for mutants. It was the last stand for our species and you were on the wrong side. If you have half a brain in your head you'll figure that out someday.

Fuck you, never talk to me again,  
Pyro

PS I fucking hate Chuck Palaniuhoweverthefuckyouspellit


	3. December 27, 2007

Dear Bobby,

Thanks for the care packages. I know there really from you even if Kitty's name is on them. The cookies were really good. It's hard to spend Christmas here. Sometimes I see snow falling outside but other then that it's like any other time of year.

I'm sorry about the letter I sent you. I don't remember what all I said but I know it was some bad shit and you were just trying to be nice. I was really mad at you and at alot of people. I've had alot of time to think. For a while, I hoped the rumors were true and Magneto really was out there getting his powers back and reforming the Brotherhood, and they'd come break us out. But then I remember how he looked at Mystique when she lost her powers. He just threw her aside. He used a lot of his people like pawns. I still think we were right to attack the lab, but that's not okay. I don't know if he really is out there but if he is I don't think he's coming back for me or any of the others.

I haven't seen another person who's not a guard in a really long time. It drives you crazy. Now I think I'm so stupid for pushing you away because you were nice to me. Not too many people are nice to me. I don't trust them when they do. You were such a good freind even when I was an asshole and I didn't deserve it at all.

I still think your wrong about the "cure," but I wish I hadn't attacked you like that. I was so mad at the world and so focussed on getting into that building, I didn't even see you as a person. You were blocking my way. You were blocking mutant's way. You were fighting your own people. I hated you so much then, but I understand now. Your a good person who thinks everyone else is a good person too. I can't blame you for wanting everyone to get along. You had the chance to kill me and you didn't. It's more than I would have done for you.

Is it too late to be freinds again? I want to know how you've been. How's the school? What's it like being an X-Man? Are you still with Marie? How's she doing?

Signed,  
John


	4. January 3, 2008

Robert Drake  
1407 Graymalkin Lane  
North Salem, NY 10560

January 3, 2008

John Allerdyce, 09475-218  
USP Florence ADMAX  
U.S. Penitentiary  
P.O. Box 8500  
Florence, CO 81226

Dear John,

I was so glad to receive your letter. I didn't think I'd ever hear from you again. It's not too late to be friends again. And those care packages actually were from Kitty; she didn't even tell me she'd sent them. I did talk to her a little about you. She must have remembered that.

To answer your questions: I'm doing really well, and so are the X-Men. Wolverine can really bust our asses sometimes, but it's only to make us stronger. He and Storm are incredible leaders. I really feel like we're coming together as a team. I hope we can be as good a team as the old one. Nobody could ever replace Cyclops and Jean Grey, but we're trying our best. You might not agree with this, but I think we're doing really important work.

Marie's doing well too. She just finished her first semester at Sarah Lawrence College. It's only 45 minutes away, but you'd be surprised how far away that actually is. We email all the time, but we don't see each other as often as we'd like because the X-Men keep me so busy. But she's spending winter break with my family now, so we're finally getting some quality time together. My parents like her, partly (I think) because she's cured. They've been dropping some not-so-subtle hints that I should leave the X-Men, get the cure, and go to college too. It's really frustrating, but I think they'll come around eventually.

I have thought about doing some kind of distance-learning program. That's what Kitty's doing; technically, she's enrolled in the London School of Economics, studying Politics and International Relations, but she's never been on campus. She just studies on her own and takes tests. I don't think I ever see her not working. She's either on a mission, training in the Danger Room, or studying. And she doesn't even seem tired. I don't know how she does it. She also did a summer internship with Dr. McCoy at the United Nations. I swear, she's going to be the first female and/or mutant president someday. I probably don't have what it takes to do all that, though. I'm not a super-genius like her.

Well, that's all I can think to say right now. I hope to hear from you again soon.

Your Friend,  
Bobby


	5. November 16, 2011

Robert Drake  
9 Seaver Hill Road  
Brookline, MA 02445

November 16, 2011

John Allerdyce, 09475-218  
USP Florence ADMAX  
U.S. Penitentiary  
P.O. Box 8500  
Florence, CO 81226

Dear John,

Sorry I took so long responding to your last letter. Things have been crazy, but you know that. The news isn't really telling you the whole story on everything, though. (But what else is new?) President McCain didn't actually have that much to do with it, though the political pressure certainly didn't help things. The truth is, they shut Xavier's down because there weren't enough students to afford the upkeep, especially all the expenses associated with the X-Men. Too many parents have been forcing their mutant kids to get the cure as soon as their powers start manifesting. We managed to get some laws against that passed, but only in a couple of states.

As for the X-Men, it was partly the money drying up (like I said), partly because Wolverine took off again. That was probably the last straw. Nobody knows where he is. I don't know if we'll ever see him again, but he'll probably be okay. He has metal claws and is basically immortal; I don't think we have to worry about him. I just wish he'd said goodbye. 

I'm living with my parents for now, trying to figure out my next move. I got a job cooling an ice skating rink, but it doesn't pay very much. I've been thinking about asking for a raise, since I save them a lot of money on air conditioning and they get to market themselves as eco-friendly. But I don't know if I care enough, because I don't expect to be there very long. With the recession, I should probably just be grateful I have a job at all.

Kate's at Harvard Law. She's not too broken up about the X-Men because she thinks we can protect mutants better by working within the system. I can't really argue with her. It's hard for me to say what we've accomplished, or if it was worth it in the end. But it makes me sad. I want to protect our people too, but I'm not cut out to be a lawyer or a politician. Kate takes me to get-togethers with her brilliant friends, and they talk about current events, and I just can't keep up. I thought I was smart, but they're on a whole other level. All I was ever really good at was being an X-Man, and now that doesn't exist anymore.

Sorry to be such a downer. I'm sure things are a lot tougher for you, but it's not much fun on the outside, either.

Your friend,  
Bob


	6. August 19, 2013

Robert Drake  
14 W. Beech Street, Apt. 2  
Nelson, BC V1L 4C5  
Canada

August 19, 2013

John Allerdyce, 09475-218  
USP Florence ADMAX  
U.S. Penitentiary  
P.O. Box 8500  
Florence, CO 81226  
U.S.A.

Dear John,

I should warn you, we might not stay at this address for long. The Canadian Council for Refugees helped set us up there, but it's just a temporary situation until we find an apartment of our own. I wish we hadn't had to leave the U.S., but the people here have been very welcoming and Nelson is a really cool little town. Lot of hippies, very live-and-let-live, very accepting. 

Kate's here too. Yeah, she finally gave up fighting to stay at Harvard. There's no way around it: her power could potentially allow her to cheat, so it's unlawful for the school to keep her there. She doesn't use her powers - she would never cheat - she just won't get the cure on principle. At this point, we've spent more time and money on legal fees than she would have on the school itself. Our only hope would be taking the case to the Supreme Court to get the Equality in Education Act repealed, but the ACLU won't take it on no matter how many times we call, and there's no other way to afford it. It's frustrating, but sometimes you just have to admit when you're beat. So she's back in the University of London International Program(me) for an LLB and then an LLM. With that, she can pass the bar in New York State. At least until they pass a law banning mutants from being lawyers.

We both want to go back to the States and fight the good fight, but now just isn't a good time, what with the assassination and everything. It's not so bad here. I got a good job at a nearby ski resort. I'm not doing much right now, just air conditioning mostly, but come winter I should have my hands full making snow. I'm making decent money too, and should make even more in winter when I can get more hours. My dad keeps telling me I could run my own ski resort someday. He wants me to be more ambitious. He's also urging me and Kate to get married and have kids, since we can do that in Canada. No eugenics laws up here. But everything's up in the air right now, and anyway we're only 24. I'm not in any rush.

There's about ten other mutants from the States that also got relocated here. That makes it easier. They even treat Kate and me like celebrities, being the only former X-Men in town. You know what's weird? A couple of them got the cure, but their powers have started to come back. Not as strong as before, but stronger every day. I used to think it was an urban legend, but now that I've seen it with my own eyes, I'm convinced that the cure isn't actually permanent. It makes me wonder about Marie. Last I heard, she was backpacking through Europe or something. I hope she's okay.

I also hope you're doing okay down there. I've included some pictures of the local scenery. Maybe you can tape them to your wall.

Hang in there,  
Bob


	7. June 14, 2015

**[pyro is online]**

**pyro:** So I hear you're getting the band back together

 **iceman:** JOHN?? is that realy you?

 **pyro:** You know it

 **iceman:** i heard you escaped in the adx riots. i knew all that fire had to be you. where are you right now?

 **pyro:** This channel's encrypted, right?

 **iceman:** naturally

 **pyro:** New brotherhood cell in Coeur d'Alene. I'm typing this on one of their phones. It's crazy. I don't see a computer for like a decade and now I'm typing on a phone. Everything's different. Anyway they told me the x-men are back and I want in. 

**iceman:** it's amazing, isn't it hahaha! good thing you're so out of date, you don'teven know how old-fashioned this communication network is. :P i can't tell you how happy i am to hear that you want to join up again

 **pyro:** Yeah, most of the new brotherhood people out west are pretty skeptical but I heard Mags was there. Though they don't really believe it. Might be more circular firing squad bullshit

 **iceman:** yeah, him and xavier started the x-men up again after president palin resurrected the sentinel program. i'm not too surprised, i know they have all kinds of history.

 **pyro:** So it's true about the prof. He seriously came back to life?

 **iceman:** oh yeah...it's a long story

 **pyro:** Are you shitting me right now

 **iceman:** listen I'll tell you all about it when you get here

 **pyro:** Where's here?

 **iceman:** alkali lake

 **pyro:** I thought that was underwater

 **iceman:** it is underwater. the complex network of ice caves is very deep underwater.

 **pyro:** HAHAHAHAHA HOLY SHIT DUDE

 **iceman:** lol yeah try not to melt anything or we'll all drown

 **pyro:** Why there of all places?

 **iceman:** no one would expect to find us there. no one would think we'd want to go there. it was wolverine's idea, believe it or not. x wouldn't do it if wolverine wasn't okay with it.

 **pyro:** Who else is there?

 **iceman:** storm, colossus, nightcrawler, beast, angel, and me. you want to bring any other new brotherhood members? we're all on the same team now.

 **pyro:** There's this guy here named warpath who seems interested but I don't know how serious he is. Super strength and speed. What about Kate?

 **iceman:** she's in london working with amnesty international. she still thinks it's best to work inside the system. or at least it's where her skills are most needed.

 **pyro:** So you guys...

 **iceman:** we're taking a break right now, no big deal

 **iceman:** so you can vouch for this warpath?

 **pyro:** He's got more cred than I do at this point. Been doing resistance work all over the west.

 **iceman:** well if you can convince him to come we need all the help we can get.

 **pyro:** The cell is willing to smuggle me/us up to the new base but they don't know where it is and they can't get me across the border

 **iceman:** now you know where it is

 **pyro:** That doesn't help me with the border crossing

 **iceman:** they tightened up security all over. we've been mostly been funneling mutants through north cascades national park, but even that's goten harder. we can maybe send storm down to provide cover from gps and nightcrawler to teleport you through the roughest parts. i'll talk to x+m but i can't make any promises and i don't know when they'll have the time to do it. how super is this warpath's super speed?

 **pyro:** He's not quicksilver or anything but he could win a marathon. He's also good with wilderness survival, better than me at least

 **iceman:** that'll help

 **pyro:** Any word on rogue

 **iceman:** not for a long time

 **pyro:** Shit

 **iceman:** it's not necessarily bad. no news is good news right

 **pyro:** Sure man

 **iceman:** i have to go but it was really great talking to you. i'll contact you when i have more info. really looking forward to seeing you again. really glad you finally came around to my way of thinking. :)

 **pyro:** I didn't come around to yours. You came around to mine.

 **iceman:** what do you mean

 **pyro:** You're in a violent resistance cell. You're fighting the government. This is exactly what the brotherhood wanted to do a decade ago and you fought us

 **iceman:** it wasn't necessary a decade ago

 **pyro:** If we'd done it then we wouldn't have to do it now

 **iceman:** we didn't know this would happen

 **pyro:** Magneto did

**[iceman is offline]**


	8. September 27, 2019

Dear John,

Today would have been your thirtieth birthday. It took me until now to look through your papers. It was too raw. I haven't stopped thinking about you since Yakutsk. We burned your body - thought you'd like that - and threw the ashes in the Lena River. I don't know why we did that. I was thinking about the whole Hindu tradition of scattering people's ashes in the Ganges. None of us are even Hindu, and you weren't really much of anything, but it seemed like the thing to do for some reason. Kurt would probably have said a prayer or something if he'd made it.

I can't believe how many of my letters you managed to keep with everything going on, living on the run and everything. More than I kept of yours. I didn't know how much the letters meant to you, though I should have. These letters were your only connection to the outside world for eight long years. I've been reading through them, imagining you reading them in your cell. I cringe at some of the things I said. I could be so condescending. It's kind of amazing you forgave me. It's kind of amazing we forgave each other.

I thought I'd write you one last letter, even though you'll never read it. Again, seemed like the thing to do. I'm keeping the letters now. I'll add this one to the file and keep them all safe. I'm keeping your old lighter too. We're heading south now, to China. I know you'd say it's crazy to think we'd be safe there since it's so much more populated, but we thought we'd be safe in Siberia and the Sentinels found us there too. Maybe we're all crazy. Apparently there's a girl in Jiamusi who can teleport. We need to get to her, as much for our safety as for hers.

I miss you. I'm sorry.

Sincerely,  
Bobby Drake


	9. February 5, 2023

Dear John,

You will never read this letter. If this plan works, I will never write this letter. I'm leaving it under your old lighter with all the others. I'm writing it for me, not for you. I want to say goodbye because they're coming, and we're the last ones, and we have no place left to go. Within the next 24 hours, either we'll all die or we'll never have been here in the first place.

We worked it all out: the only solution we've got left, our last, best hope for mutant survival. Kate's going to phase Logan's consciousness back in time to 1973, when the Sentinels were invented. He's the only one who was alive back then and whose body can survive the process long enough to change things. And if it works, he might change everything. Who knows what could happen? We could end up never being born. It boggles the mind.

Once we argued over how to ensure mutant survival. Violence or non-violence? Revolution or integration? Who knew time travel was on the table? It's awful that it's come to this. You'd probably say it proves that violent resistance was necessary all along. I don't know about that. I still feel that there's a point where you can change the world peacefully, where people can be convinced to live together. And eventually there comes a point where you have no choice but to fight back. It's like a line, running left to right. You put your dot on that line a lot further to the left than I did. We'll never know who was right, or if either of us was right. But we were always on the same line, and where you put your dot suddenly seems much less important than it used to.

I don't know what will happen in this new world we're creating. But I hope things are better for you. I hope things are better for all of us. And I hope we meet each other, and we both do better. We were friends once. I hope we can be friends again.

Never talking to you again, as requested,  
Bobby Drake


End file.
